


Mission for a Rookie

by Meghan888



Category: Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: #hanging, #rescue, Accident, Accidents, Action, Agony, Blood and Injury, Broken, Broken Bones, Caves, Cloud Strife - Freeform, Crying, Friendship, Funny, Hang on, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Mess, Mission Gone Wrong, Missions Gone Wrong, Pain, Rookies, SOLDIER - Freeform, Sane Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Self-Indulgent, Sephiroth - Freeform, Sephiroth whump, Slight Canon Divergence, Tears, Whump, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, Wounded, Zack Fair - Freeform, concussion, cry, hang in there, injured, it was supposed to be short whump, more whump to come, no more, stop please, supposed to be just whump but it's kind of a mix, wound, zolom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:13:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26870446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meghan888/pseuds/Meghan888
Summary: A yellow chocobo sprung out of the darkness, its feathers ruffled and beak opened, spewing unpleasant shrieks. A cadet cursed quietly. What in the world was going on in those caves?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 24
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Routine?

**Author's Note:**

> The world needs more Sephiroth whump!!!He was/is still a human. We need to see him more as one.
> 
> This *should* be more-or-less according to the original story/canon. But I still don't know much about all the games ;d
> 
> *Sorry for any errors* Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Comments and kudos are welcome! ;)

“You got it guys? We didn't expect zoloms in the first place, but monsters don't care about our orders! But we can do it! Show this fucker what we're made of!” Frantically grinning SOLDIER ended his maybe a bit too eager speech to the five infantry men standing in front of him.

Young cadets were at least trying to show some kind of interest and hold their guns in a proper way. With their minds desperately fighting dull tiredness and monotony of the barren desert and some rocks they were forced to patrol for last five days. Guarding rocks...  
In the meantime they found new reason to get adrenaline pumping. It washed away all their hopes to finally go back to Midgar, take a shower, eat nicer food and rest.

The enthusiastic, second-class, blue-eyed SOLDIER joined them on the fourth day as a support, since they started having more trouble with growing sizes and numbers of critters who suspiciously decided to appear nearby boring caverns they must have seen a hundred times by now.  
But this beaming smile could not shadow in any way the biggest distraction and obstacle that made it hard to focus today.

“Do you understand the plan? We start at the western entrance to the biggest cavern. You wait for my sign to open fire. If it will be necessary. Remember, timing is very important! But aiming as well!” He gestured dramatically, as if his whole body language wasn't ridiculously dramatic enough. „Show General that we're a well cooperated team!”

Yes, the General. He was here. In the flesh. Some of them could see him this close for the first time... Apparently he only arrived here by a coincidence... He nodded to the squad with a silent smirk that made some of them feel more hot on their faces. 

“Sir, yes sir!” They answered almost in unison and quite motivated.

“I hope I'm not too much of a distraction for you, cadets.” Said Sephiroth surprisingly gently, almost laughing. His voice felt warm and reassuring. “I'm sure Zack could handle the issue with your help, but since I was nearby, I decided to check out on him.” He chuckled and made a few steps forward from behind the smiling bomb. Young warriors barely stopped themselves from backing off.  
One of them raised his eyes in desperately masked awe, even if the helmet covered half of his face. “Remember, I had to learn everything from the beginning and practice, just like you. Doesn't matter when one starts. So if you have any questions, go ahead and ask. I temporary allow stupid questions as well.” He sent them a delicate smile and their legs felt like foam all the sudden.

Black haired SOLDIER just continued on staring at the team, showing his perfect, white teeth as if that was the best day of his life. Sun was just not too high and not to low. Offering the best conditions to see the beasts and not blind the infantry men. Air tasted like sand, but quite fresh. The best conditions indeed.

A yellow chocobo sprung out of the darkness, it's feathers ruffled and beak opened, spewing unpleasant shrieks. A cadet cursed quietly. What in the world was going on in those caves? Even General seemed a bit shocked, his mane slightly ruffled as well. He glanced at the surprising visitor but the creature ignored all of them, it seemed not to be hurt. He quickly gestured to the squad to keep quiet, so they did, remaining crouching with Zack in their positions as the panicked bird continued its escape. Maybe they should do the same?  
Blue-eyed SOLDIER held his sword ready, whole body tensed, waiting for action. A minute passed by and nothing more ran or even lurked out from the caverns. Neither his eyes or ears could detect any new sound or movement. This place was becoming more and more problematic.  
Though Sephiroth seemed more relaxed than Zack, only focused, with his impossibly long sword in his left hand, he started calculating. He wanted to use materia first, as another lure, just to demonstrate the younglings how it's done but his intuition kept on bugging him. There was no point in risking lives of the cadets. He could handle bad feelings himself. That was supposed to be a routine area check after all. He learned the hard way to trust his gut feeling back in Wutai and there was no denying it any more since that one time.

As Zack saw him signalling a change of plans and that he's going in alone, he barely stopped a loud sigh. He wanted to argue but green, sharp stare shut him down from afar. He shrugged. 

Sephiroth prepared barrier materia, just in case. Maybe they needed more support and a detailed investigation but it seemed there is no time to lose. His body kept on sending him electric prods through his back. Of course he was all so powerful and fast and whatnot, but he hasn't experienced such a bad feeling since that one time six years ago. Knee-deep in mud, Genesis never forgave him that day...

Zack and confused infantry backed away. His second in command still observing him vigilantly from behind a convenient rock. All of them on stand-by.

Sephiroth doubled focus of his senses and soundlessly sneaked into the entrance. Fast and agile, he disappeared. Some of the boys held their breaths for a second. Zack just stepped from one leg to another, hesitant if he should follow his leader.  
He was already growing inpatient. Knowing Seph, he would take his sweet time doing „a proper reconnaissance, any strategy is practically worthless without good intelligence” blah, blah... Zack rolled his eyes and huffed. Just like Angeal liked to lecture him about his honor, Sephy was a tactics freak. This whole place was so dull, no wonder these poor guys wanted to get out of here. Huh, wasn't that one time when he saw the famous general all dishevelled and drunk when they were playing a board game with-

A roar. Almost deafening. Humming noise of tumbling rocks, the ground shook slightly and that's when hairs on Zack's neck stood up and his guys gasped in fear. The SOLDIER opened his eyes wide, ready to find either and ally or an enemy fumbling out from the dust and debris that erupted through the entrance. So much of the quiet reconnaissance. Where was he?! 

“Stay here unless I call you! Guns full ready!” He leaped towards the chaos of dust and stones barely settling now.

A big, long shape flung out from the haze. Zack prepared his sword, still cautious. His muscles couldn't stand any more waiting though. The shape that looked almost like a zolom fumbled helplessly onto the sand. More dust flew up. He prepared his sword to kill the monster but it was already dead. Gods!

“Sephiroth!” He couldn't see much or hear because of all the small rocks and sand still landing. He coughed and blinked through tearing eyes. It seemed like the cavern was still open enough. He could sense a slight breeze already forming … and a familiar scent, and then another earth tremble. He backed away a few steps, holding his sword in defensive. The beast that rushed out was huge.. no, it was giant. It's body only missed him because he quickly jumped away. Debris crushing under its weight. 

Zack frantically looked up, searching for- „Sephiroth!”  
General was hanging on the hilt of Masamune piercing upper part of monster's jaw. Zoloms head tossed to a side violently and then he heard painful gasp. And then he saw it, a thin but steady stream of blood going down from Seph's left arm, down his body. And then Zolom tried to shake off intruder away again, not giving the general time to hook his right hand anywhere. 

“Zack, back off! It's a nest!” Coughed out Sephiroth from above, while annoyed serpent continued trying to get rid of him, in vain. “Anomaly! Call-” 

Black haired warrior cussed when about a dozen of small zoloms spilled out after the tail of the huge one. There was also something looking like a comically small malboro shape fumbling after the group. 

Sephiroth chocked a yelp when another sharp toss almost threw him off the beast. The burning white that was his whole hand and a shoulder has become impossible to ignore. In a rush he got a glimpse of Zack below him, getting ready to cast a spell. The world whirled again, his left arm almost gave up, but he managed to get a good swing to hook his leg on the monster's lower jaw. Risky but that was his only option now, except hard landing.

„No!” He heard a muffled scream from Zack. Then gun shots. A few alarmingly close to his head. He clenched his teeth. 

How?! 

The giant mass of a body shook its head. This time he heard himself scream as another tendon snapped like a rubber band. The pain went all the way down to his stomach. His eyes glazed for a moment. There were more shouting, and more gunshots, but, luckily, away from him. A moment of lucidity saved him from his feet being crushed by a suddenly closing jaw. He has to let go Masamune...  
Another wild tremor as his body swung with zolom's jaws and a dulled pain and a sickening snap of bones breaking with joints in deterioration. He decided to let go of his sword.

He knew that enhanced senses have a cost. A cost paid in pain experienced tenfold, just as all the other sensory signals. He knew how to block pain, but most of times he didn't have to, because he avoided things that caused him hurt. 

He chose to close his eyes as it seemed like he's plummeting down to the sandy ground, threw by the monster that had enough of his tactics... ha! What tactics...


	2. More Than Expected

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure, self-indulging whump. Enjoy hurting Sephiroth ^_^

A thud, a roll, noises of rattling rocks, a chafe. Muffled voices shouting from below. Sephiroth could not keep his eyes open or control his flight or fall trajectory, simply given up to the laws of physics. Another thud, his body, especially his back succumbing to gravity that chose its shortest way down. But a solid wall of a rock was on the way. So his back gave up to the hard surface with a gruesome crack. He hissed involuntary, not really knowing why until there was a pang of pain. His pain, sending revolting wave through the stomach and down. His legs felt like jelly but he could not use them or any other faculty whatsoever.

He was gone in a white, agonizing haze for a moment, then came back, opened his eyes in a sudden impulse. Just then he felt the desert air brushing his cheeks. His slit pupils became almost round. He was close to hitting the ground. Immediate preservation instinct kicked in as he covered his head with right hand. The other was dangling helplessly, held together only by partially torn sleeve of his coat. The left pauldron was gone.

He was gone.

Sephiroth screamed in pain, before a wave of cough cut his voice off. The taste was metallic. He tried to roll to his right but every muscle ached. A dull, tingling sensation replaces his left arm and suddenly it became a red, hot sting of pain when he strained his back to move again. 

“Aaahhh!” Shocked by his own voice, so raw, so primal, Sephiroth lost his will to even cough, despite dry dust settling down onto him. It was awful, it was terrifying... 

His spine gave up a second after. Oh gods... He couldn't remember being in so much pain and almost completely incapacitated. Not during the whole war, not even during Hojo-

“S-Sephiroth!” Zack rarely used the full and only proper version or his name.

He would reply if he could. Not even being able to force heavy eyelids to lift themselves high enough. The world consisted of pain and more pain, flowing in waves, shuffling from one of his side to the another. As sharp and real as his enhanced senses allowed him to feel, to see, to smell...

This is why you don't want to get seriously injured as a First. That was another price to pay.

Muffled voices came back to him again as his eyelids fluttered. He saw a worried, puppy-eyed face above. He frowned in surprise, how Zack could become so pale? He thought he noticed glimpses of watery drops forming in those big eyes of his. By gods... Zack was so beautiful... and... There were two or three figures of cadets by his side.

He blinked slowly, maybe he had a bit of a headache. The world was slightly swimming...

Shouldn't he be on a mission now? What was this whole ordeal about?

“Nggh!”

“Oh gods, oh gods! Seph, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry... But we have to stabilize you. I can't use cure materia just yet.” He took a deep breath and whispered. “Your shoulder...It's so messed up... But you killed that fucking monster!”

Sephiroth jerked as his body tried to maybe heal itself or just escape from this horrible place. Voices rose above him as strong hands held him down gently, but steady. 

“It's all good... help is on the way.” A warm and familiar voice kept explaining as general's eyes fluttered open again, this time wider but all glazed. Big, slit pupils unusually haunting.

“He's going into a shock...” Said a younger and also familiar voice. Sephiroth couldn't feel his neck but he really wanted to see who it was.

“Yes, I know, Cloud...” Zack sounded slightly frustrated, or maybe was just awkwardly hiding his fear. “Hold his left arm.....but...careful..... so we can.... Seph.....t? Seph! Wake up man!”

“Yes?” General's voice was hoarse, unusually quiet. He sent a questioning but unfocused look to Zack and tasted copper on his lips.

“Sephy... can you feel your legs?” The Second Soldier's face was so worried now, but less pale, he noticed.

Sephiroth frowned.

“Why...” His eyes widened in a sudden realization. He blinked as if trying to chase away fog gathering in his brain. “Y-yes... I can feel them... by Shiva...” He huffed and groaned.”I can move them too...slightly.”

Black-haired man carefully swiped a few silver bangs from general's bloodied face.

“You have to drink a potion at least... for now... I'll lift your head very gently, ok?” Second's voice broke down.

“Zack...” Sephiroth slurred. He lifted his gaze upon his friend's face. “I think I have a concussion...”

Younger warrior choked a sudden chuckle, his eyes beamed for a precious moment. “Yes, Sephiroth. I'm aware of that.” He smiled.

General tried to smile back but he frowned instead and clenched his teeth as his head was shifted slowly. Not much, maybe a few centimeters. It hurt. But he didn't want to worry them further... How come this routine mission has become...this? Was any of the troopers hurt? He wasn't even supposed to be here, but he wanted to see Zack. Such a promising soldier. Reminded him a bit of himself when he was younger.

With an utmost effort he drank the potion. It mixed with the blood on his tongue, but still tasted like paradise, a bloody paradise. Zack carefully held chin of the injured man, so he'd swallow the liquid safely. 

Sephiroth strained his will to stop tears from going down his cheeks, hoping that the potion would melt away growing agony burning through his left arm, firing up his spine and sending pounding hurt through his neck. And as to kill all of his hope, a jagged, thick blade of misery tore through his super vigilant senses as his head was gently laid down.

A sharp inhale and whimper managed to escape his lips. 

“It's all good. It should be better now, rest, Sephy...” 

His body felt so much lighter. He closed his eyes yet again, feeling a cooling breeze coming over his skin. Engulfing him from the inside. He took a deep breath... a few stronger aches still stayed, however, he was starting to feel so much better. Maybe he could just fall asleep before the medics showed up? He felt so, so tired...

His left shoulder itched suddenly, disturbing upcoming blissfulness. Then it tingled and pain started slowly escaping or rather, dulling down in his left hand. The limb was now in a subtle state between slight soreness and something much worse as he could feel that one bad move will send him flying towards agony. And he couldn't feel his fingers...

Voices sounded close by, yet words indistinguishable. There was some shuffling around. Zack sounded as if explaining something to the boys... A few delicate palms hovered above his left side, touching here and there. He couldn't stop a moan of pain when they lifted his arm slightly. Something was... was his sleeve being cut? A weak smell of leather hit his nostrils. Yes, definitely... They gently restrained his limb. On his wrist, forearm and... he couldn't feel and he didn't want to feel more. But there were palms, icy cold palms holding onto him and one hotter one. One radiating pleasant heat – that was his friend's palm, keeping him still. 

Zack's voice recited a few calming words again, but they were all blurring into one, gentle-

“Sephiroth!” General's eyelids opened to reveal tired but slightly more conscious eyes. His pupils were still unnaturally wide, compared to the brightness of the day. “I have to set a few parts of your arm before the medics show up. It's already healing and it will be a mess if- you know... I'm sorry, Seph. It will hurt. Get ready on three?” 

Oh... That means he will try to.... “Yes.” He mumbled, desperately wanting to avoid more pain at all costs. But it had to be done.

“Okay guys, hold as I told you... One, two-”

Crack.

General howled like a wild animal butchered. A few startled cadets cussed quietly. A hot trail of tears escaped squeezed eyelids, as Zack's firm hand didn't let him to lift himself and run. Anywhere, just away from the agony. 

His body went limp, enhanced senses exploited to the limit. He heard another sickening crack. Someone screamed in pain, but it was muffled and unfamiliar. And something warm was spilling down his forearm and face. He kept on panting abruptly until he couldn't remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAYY! OVER 20 kudos! thank you!... more kudos are welcome;) Comments are very welcome. Drop me a line, hooman!
> 
> Sorry for not updating often... working on it @_@


End file.
